Masayuki Sasano

The tsuba is a protective guard placed on Japanese swords between the blade and the hilt. It stops the sword of the opponent and thus prevent injuries to the hand. Such at an rate was its purely practical function, but since samurai of old drew swords for combat much less frequently than might be thought, the tsuba inevitably served its true major role while the sword itself was in the scabbard and thrust under the warrior's sash in its customary place. Furthermore, when the sword was in this position, the tsuba, at all times the most important part of the blade mounting, was placed at the center of the samurai's body, where it became a vital contributing factor to the dignity of his appearance.

The samurai often referred to his sword as his soul, and the tsuba, because of its importance to the sword, naturally became a concentration of many elements. It revealed the standing of the warrior, showed something of his prowess and dignity among other samurai, and frequently told his family background. In addition to being a source of information, the tsuba was a concentration of the aesthetics of the warrior class. Many different patterns symbolizing the ideas, emotions, and hopes of the warriors gradually emerged in their designs, but all of them were essentially and deeply related to the way of the life of the warriors who used and loved them.

One major category of tsuba is characterized by inlay and incrustatin of gold or silver on iron or copper, but hte one discussed in this book is a style employing open-work patterns only. The author has further narrowed his fielfd to open-work tsuba made of iron because he feels that they are most truly Japanese and best reveal the kind of beauty required by the samurai.

The major aim of the book is to present clearly and accurately the beauty of open-work tsuba arranged according to design school and historical period. To this end, the author has selected 216 outstanding works, each of which is shown in actual dimensions printed in gravure. Detailed information including school, period, artist, dimensions, etc., are presented too. Fifty especially outstanding tsuba are shown in full-color illustrations.

Twenty-one major schools of tsuba production are explained in categories from the standpoints of spiritual and military background. As the first research work of its kind, the book is an important source of reference. At the same time, however, it is a revolutionary art book in that it boldly underscores the aesthetics of work in iron and offers many splendid examples of brilliant design.

The author's abundant experience and accurate research has resulted in fresh descriptions and comments that surpass anything done in the field before. Furthermore, the photographer's work is technically and artistically excellent.

Born in 1920, in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Masayuki Sasano graduated from Kokushikan College in 1942. During the Pacific War, he served in the Japanese Navy, being discharged at the conclusion of hostilities with the rank of first lieutenant. His great interest in the traditional way and spirit of the samurai dates from his youth. Born into an old family in a district that, during the feudal period, was ruled by one of the principle branches of the Tokugawa family, Sasano studied Japanese fencing, or kendo. In 1945 he began research on open-work tsuba. At present, in addition to his regular work as a director of the Dai-ichi Mutual Financing Bank, he continues his research on tsuba and other sword mountings. He lives in Tokyo and has already published a book in Japanese called Sukashi Tsuba (Open-work Sword Guards).

Shihachi Fujimoto, born in Nagano Prefecture in 1911, has been working as a photographer since 1938. During that time he has held many exhibitions, published numerous books, and received a large number of prizes and awards. For instance, his work Nihon no Chokoku (Sculpture of Japan) won the culture award of the Mainichi Newspapers in 1953; in 1965, his book Soshoku Kofun (Ancient Ornamented Japanese Tombs) won the award of he Japan Photographers Association. Fujimoto too lives in Tokyo.

Contents

preface
Notes to the reader
Part One: History, art, and artists
I Beauty and form
II Historical development
III Major schools
1 Ko-tosho
2 Ko-katchushi
3 Kyo-sukashi
4 Daigoro
5 Ko-Shoami
6 Umetada
7 Kanayama
8 Owari
9 Yagyu
10 Ono
11 Nobuie
12 Hoan
13 Yamakichi
14 Akasaka
15 Tosa Myochin
16 Hayashi
17 Hirata
18 Kamiyoshi
19 Nishigaki
20 Shimizu
21 Miyamoto Musashi
Part Two: Selected guards (numbers in parenthese refer to plates)
Ko-tosho (1-6)
Ko-katchushi (7-18)
Kyo-sukashi (19-41)
Daigoro (42)
Ko-Shoami (43-52)
Umetada (53-54)
Kanayama (55-78)
Owari (79-106)
Yagyu (107-124)
Ono (125-128)
Nobuie (129-130)
Hoan (131-132)
Yamakichi (133-138)
Akasaka (139-164)
Tosa Myochin (165-168)
Hayashi (169-192)
Hirata (195-196)
Kamiyoshi (193-194)
Nishigaki (197-208)
Shimizu (209-214)
Miyamoto Musashi (215-216)
Color plates
Ko-tosho and Ko-katachushi (30-31)
Kyo-sukashi, Ko-shoami, and Umetada (52-53)
Kanayama and Owari (92-93)
Yagyu and Ono (148-149)
Nobuie, Hoan, and Yamakichi (174-175)
Akasaka (1880189)
Hayashi and Kamiyoshi (222-223)
Hirata, Nishigaki, Shimizu, and Miyamoto Musashi (252-253)
Appendixes
A. Care and preservation of iron swords guards
B. Nomenclature
Index to schools and guard makers… (plus d'informations)